No compromise with Modi govt, Bhatt tells court

Ahmedabad: Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt
refused to make any compromise with the Gujarat government
after a local court proposed that if he went on police remand
for about three hours his bail plea could be heard on Tuesday itself.

The response by Bhatt, who has accused Chief Minister
Narendra Modi of complicity in 2002 post-Godhra riots, came
after Sessions Judge G N Patel made the proposal during
hearing on the state government`s revision application for his
remand.

"I cannot compromise with those goons. Whatever wrong the
government wants to do I do not care. I will tolerate it,"
Bhatt said in the open court.

Bhatt`s lawyer Sayed said, "The court suggested to
Bhatt that he should go for two or three hours remand and his
bail application will be heard later in the day".
"To this suggestion, Bhatt told the judge that he would
not go for any compromise on this. Bhatt further said to the
judge that he believes in law and let law take its own course
and give him a legal order," Sayed said.

Sayed said Bhatt is ready to be in jail for a longer
duration but he will not compromise on his principles and was
confident that the rule of law will prevail.

The court reserved the order on the state government`s
remand revision application of Bhatt for October seven.

Bhatt has already filed a bail plea before Sessions Judge
V K Vyas who adjourned the hearing for tomorrow.

The Gujarat government had yesterday challenged in the
sessions court a magisterial court`s order denying remand
of Bhatt, arrested last Friday for allegedly threatening and
forcing a constable to sign a false affidavit.

Judge Patel reserved the order on the remand revision
application for October 7.
During the hearing before Judge Patel, Sayed contended
that the revision remand application of the state government
was not maintainable in law.

He cited A Supreme Court judgement which said that
granting or rejecting of remand was an interlocutory order and
there cannot be revision of that order as per section 397(2)
of the CrPC.

Sayed said that in view of the apex court judgement
the government application is not maintainable and should be
rejected.

On the government side, public prosecutor Pravin
Trivedi argued that the state government has a right to seek
revision of the remand once it is rejected.

After the order was reserved, Bhatt who was present in
the court told the judge that he would like to assist the
court and remain present during pronouncement of the order but
the judge said that his presence was not required and he also
asked the jail authorities not to bring him to court on
October 7.

Bhatt was arrested in connection with an FIR filed
against him by police constable K D Pant in June for allegedly
threatening him and making him sign false affidavits regarding
a meeting called by Modi on February 27, 2002, hours after the
Godhra train carnage.

On October 1, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate B G
Doshi had rejected the state government`s demand for seven
days police custody of Bhatt and remanded him in judicial
custody.

The government had challenged the magistrate`s order
and sought Bhatt`s custody on the grounds that it wanted to
know how the IPS officer had used the affidavits signed by
Pant.

The government contended that Bhatt`s custody was
required to find out about others involved in the conspiracy,
and also to ascertain whether the IPS officer had sent the
affidavits to somebody using emails.

The government further said that it also wanted to
know how many bank lockers did Bhatt have and what was inside
them.